Republicans ponder way forward

Republicans found themselves gazing into an electoral abyss Wednesday, registering the full impact of a 2012 election that exposed crippling weaknesses in the party’s political infrastructure and demographic appeal.

The takeaway among party leaders was virtually unanimous: The GOP faces a years-long challenge of reaching out to Americans beyond its predominantly white, male base and updating a voter turnout machine that’s woefully out of date.

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Romney reflects on campaign

Election takeaways

Romney concedes to Obama

Exactly how to do that is a tougher question, Republicans acknowledged. In any case, there’s broad agreement that it will take national leadership from a charismatic politician — Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s name came up repeatedly — to begin the process of bouncing back.

Only a revived national party — currently a fractured institution, with power divided between traditional organizations like the Republican National Committee, the two chambers of Congress and a host of separately funded outside groups — can address the structural problems that doomed Republicans Tuesday night, GOP leaders said.

“It’s a wake-up call. It’s a wake-up call,” Ohio Sen. Rob Portman said of the party’s trouncing this week.

West Virginia Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, who’s considering a Senate bid in 2014, said Republicans had to confront the reality that they’re “not diversified like the country” and risked losing women voters and minorities in future cycles.

“It’s a broader issue than women just being concerned about abortion. There’s a concern that people in the Republican Party want to intervene in the choices women have,” Capito said. “The candidates reflect the predominant members of our party. If we’re going to be a party of a big tent, we can’t keep leaving people out. We’re not diversified like the country.”

She cited her 27-year-old daughter, saying that women that age just don’t accept “any limitation of their choices.”

And Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, Mitt Romney’s state chairman in the Old Dominion and a candidate for governor in 2013, acknowledged that Republican “voter identification and mobilization … didn’t produce the kind of results that we thought it would produce.”

“We did not get the voter turnout that we anticipated getting,” Bolling said. “We have got to do a better job reaching out to women, to Latinos, to young voters. And if we don’t do that, we’re going to have a hard time winning elections on a national level.”

What began on election night as a sense of shock — Republicans recognized Barack Obama might win reelection, but few expected an Electoral College blowout — deepened into something more depressive on Wednesday as the sweep of the party’s defeat became clear.

Readers' Comments (784)

The republican philosophy of everything being state centric is wrong. The party itself feels that it cannot be state centric anymore and needs to be centralized. The same applies at the federal level too. You cannot have too small government and for gods sake please start come out of the foxland and for a moment start trusting the pollsters or atleast the trend of polls.

What we have to realize is that the USA is fast becoming a poor, third world nation demographically, dependent on massive deficit spending to maintain an illusion of prosperity, and ruled by a very small oligarchy of extremely wealthy class. We have turned into something we never were because uncontrolled third world immigration, and through outsourcing of good jobs. Look at our inner cities to see a true image of the real state of our nation. The Republicans still think in terms of freedom, mom, and apple pie-but this is a just a memory of a different America. We will need a new party for a new America.

POLITICO- . . . ranks of the governors,” said McDonnell. “More importantly, leadership on policy will come from the governors; we’re the ones doing the most to help create jobs. We get stuff done.” . . . .

Truth is a problem when Republican Governors all "CUT Jobs" (ie that's why so many Women are out of work in 2012= teachers cut, healthcare workers cut, public service workers cut) So, we must ask, "What stuff did you get done?"

Caveat: [Commonwealth of Virginia is an exception and McDonnell may not realize how huge are the numbers in his Republican run States.]

IF

Republicans really want to move forward

THEN

Republicans must rid themselves of "DixieCrat Influence/Control of GOP" (ie Instead of kicking out the Lugar-influences they must kick out the KKK/Bigot-influences as did Democrats = US has moved past Jim Crow)

Republicans must seek and find truths outside of their current path and stop the acts that "Limit Number of Voters via Theft, Intimidation, ID-laws, Robo-Lies etc"

Republicans must see the "Tree in their own Eye = Mt 7:3" before attacking others.

Republicans must know and teach that We can't say "Right To Life while cutting food, raiment, shelter, Medical" because that's only saying, "Right To Just-Birth, then you are on your own." thus, the phrase becomes an Oxymoron.

Govenors inside The Republican Party Must Force The House of Representatives to "Stop Obstrution of Ideas that they know are both "Conservative and Republican" (ie Infrastructure, Personal Responsibility in HC-insurance)

Sidebar: [ Yes, it is harder than Gov McDonnell has begun to see; yet, he is positioned to impact this growth of truth in GOP Leadership. Mmmmmm, sorry Rep Eric Cantor is still stabbing Leader Boehner in the hip as he tries for a "Big 4 Trillion $$ Deal"]

Conservative Barry Goldwater warned about what would happen if the Republican party allied itself with Christian Right groups. Those groups believe that they are on the side of God. and that a politician who compromises on an issue that they care about is serving Satan. Ronald Reagan ignored the warning because he needed the support of religious interest groups. Now the Republican party is dominated by Christian interests. The Democratic party is attacked for leaving the word "God" out of some party plank or another. The country is now hopelessly divided. Read more here: http://www.liberalslikechrist....

The Republicans are fighting an old war. We have created a society addicted to government handouts and huge debt. The addicts ALL vote Democrat. 51% of Americans don't want their gravy train interrupted. There is nothing the Republican can do but cater to the parasites or lose. Bush Jr. catered, spent and spent, and won big. Americans don't want to hear about belt tightening and fiscal responsibility. They want their government checks, and couldn't care less about the level of debt generated to provide them. Free money, free food, free cell phones. What can be better. We have created a poor , third world country. The Republican party is living in the past.

Clearly Republicans must have learned the lesson that Politics of Division works. Americans want higher taxes, give amnesty to illegals, and want the freedom to kill their babies. This is easy folks, pamper them with their wishes ifyou want to get their votes. Not a single democrat can disagree with this so why not use their strategy?

A group of ignorant people will eventually turn on each other. We are watching that happen now.

"The conservative media bubble is totally self-defeating for us. It denies us any realistic view of the real world of the general election, assuming instead that all politics is simply an extension of the Republican primary. It blindly drives us off one cliff after another,” said Republican presidential strategist Mike Murphy."

Well - Yes... If you watch Fox News you are ignorant. It is that simple.

Send Sarah Says Payme More Money. She knows how to spend it and you are ignorant enough to give it to her. She needs it for her 2016 bid for president. Youbetcha!

The RNC reliance on wildly failed economic policies is the core reason they are not in the White House. They are simply not listening and instead calling for a return to the policies that got the US in to the debt and inequality position we are in now - they continue to call for even faster digging when already in a deep hole.

Because divisive identity group politics is wrong, fostering dependence upon government is wrong, buying votes by promising goodies is wrong, and promoting the idea that people are victims is wrong.

Sure, You can benefit from exploiting envy and jealously and other vices of human nature for a while, but it's not sustainable. Of course you won't believe that because you think you know better, so you'll just have to be patient and experience it first hand. History is full of examples . The French Revolution's breakdown into anarchy is a good one to start with.

@naro: "The Republicans are fighting an old war. We have created a society addicted to government handouts and huge debt. The addicts ALL vote Democrat. 51% of Americans don't want their gravy train interrupted. There is nothing the Republican can do but cater to the parasites or lose. Bush Jr. catered, spent and spent, and won big. Americans don't want to hear about belt tightening and fiscal responsibility. They want their government checks, and couldn't care less about the level of debt generated to provide them. Free money, free food, free cell phones. What can be better. We have created a poor , third world country. The Republican party is living in the past."

The solution is simple, stop trying to drag the country back (kicking and screaming) to an imaginary world of the 1950's and embrace the way forward.

Start by jettisoning the anti-science, theocratic and racists losers who have taken over the Republican party.

And stop taking your marching orders from Rush, Beck, Hannity and Føx Noise. They are not providing you with accurate information that will allow you to move forward. If you cannot recognize that their bad advice led to your huge losses this round, you will repeat the same losing strategies again with the same results.

The GOP convention seemed to be a turnout of middle aged and white senior citizens dressed in goofy hats like it was 1976. Their policies are too driven by tea party evangelicals seeking a purity that is long dead and buried. The fact that they did not recognize this and brought Mr. Eastwood and an empty chair out as a warm up is indicative of what they offer Americans nationally.....NOTHING. They will continue to be a regional party and control a good many state legislatures like brick fortresses in the wild west protecting them against the hoard of unwashed among them.

The reason you lost is that you did not run true red-white-and-blue Conservatives who believe in God before country and these RINO's thought they had to apologize when they said what they really believed about "legitimate rape".

You and I both know that women who are raped get pregnant if it is God's will, so stop your apology tour and run some old white males with the same thoughts and big enough balls to say those important thoughts that the electorate really wants to hear.

Oh, and keep the race war going. The Southern strategy has secured you every election from here on out.

Good luck, I've told you what you want to hear. I look forward to a real election next time, and not candidates like Romney who pretend to be Conservative then pretend to be moderate. To hell with moderation, lay your hand on the table honestly because that's what will win you every election from now on!Follow Rush's play book. He has his fingers on the true pulse of Amerika and he won't lead you wrong!

As we speak I am watching Fox News. They are showing a clip from election night of O'Really saying Obama won because people want free stuff. They then proceed to show how many more people are on welfare and food stamps over the past four years. They produce a bigoted idiot who swears what O'Really says is true.

The Republicans simply need to emulate the Democrats to right their political ship. Better (more honest and less politicized) pollsters, more computer and internet savvy and sophistication, and a real national ground game in place of the lazy psychological "enthusiasm" ruse.

Likewise, Republicans need to do as their leader did -- emulate the Democrat in attitude, ordering of values and policy prescriptions at home and abroad. Romney's last-minute desperate shadowing of President Obama in the debates gave him his only fleeting chance at victory. Still, we chose Obama over mini-Obama and for obvious reasons. But Republicans can solve their problems by simply dropping their bigotry (and the nursing of it) and developing an inclusive spirit of working for the welfare of all US and not just the rich and powerful. Also jettisoning their voodoo economics for a more Keynesian one that actually works is essential.

Such emulation of the Democrats in these two fundamental regards could turn the Republican fortunes around the very next election cycle. But will they do it? Likely on the first score. Not likely on the second.